The New Star Wars: The Dark Side of Change
by Silver Winged Seraph
Summary: Almost a thousand years have passed since the fall of the Galactic Empire, and the teachings of the Sith are believed to have died with it. However, dark forces are at work in the Galaxy, and the Jedi fear the Sith may return once more.
1. Dark Side of Change: Prologue

**The New Star Wars: The Dark Side of Change  
****By SilverWingedSeraph **

**Author's Notes:**

Okay, I'm a long time fan of Star Wars. Not a rabid, crazy fan, mind you, but still a fan. Lately I've been reading the New Jedi Order series and running a Star Wars RPG for a friend, and I've kinda been in a slump in terms of writing. So I decided to write a story about the past of some of my prominent NPC characters. This story is set after the Yuuzhan Vong war, and ignores all canon after the New Jedi Order books (mostly because I haven't read anything after that, yet). This Prologue is basically just the yellow scrolling text at the beginning of the movies. Chapter One is already well on it's way, and should be uploaded soon, but right now, I need some sleep. Please, read, enjoy, and leave your thoughts.

**Prologue**

A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away...

**The New Star Wars  
E****pisode I  
****The Dark Side of Change**

Almost a millennia has passed since the fall of the Galactic Empire, and the Galaxy is in a state of upheaval. After the war with the Yuuzhan Vong, the Republic was left a mere shadow of its former glory. Many planets chose to govern themselves, or form separate Alliances. Eventually, the Imperial Remnant once more established a major foothold in the Galaxy, although a tenuous alliance with the New Republic prevented all out war. With the political fracturing in the Galaxy, the role of the Jedi Order became somewhat difficult to determine, as they were no longer sanctioned by any individual group.

Indeed, the Jedi Knights were viewed with disdain among the people of the Galactic Republic, who saw them as renegades and dangerous individuals, a relic of the past that needed to be cast aside. Inside the territories controlled by the Imperial Remnant, the view of the Jedi was much more focused, for they were still perceived as the ultimate downfall of the Empire. Ultimately, the two major political forces in the Galaxy rejected the Jedi, labelling them as a private organisation that had no political standing.

Five hundred years ABY (After the Battle of Yavin), the Jedi Order gained acceptance within the fledgling alliance of the Interstellar Confederacy, which consisted of a handful of planets in the Mid and Outer Rim. The Capital of the Interstellar Confederacy, Telos, became home of the Jedi Council, but other Temples and Praxeums were established publicly or in secret upon other worlds, notably the newly Vong-formed Ithor, where a colony consisting of an Alliance between the Yuuzhan Vong and the Ithorians allowed a hidden Jedi Enclave to be built.

The Sith were no more than a distant memory to the Jedi, and the rest of the Galaxy had all but forgotten of their existence. Over the past century though, those memories have returned to the fore. The Imperial Remnant, in a desperate bid for power, have infiltrated the Jedi Order with Force-Sensitive spies, hoping to once again have an Emperor or a Darth Vader to lead them in the conquest of the Galaxy. All they succeeded in doing, however, was establishing a cult of Dark Jedi, who came to call themselves the Sith'arii.

Though the teachings of the Sith have been lost, the draw of the Dark Side is stronger than ever, and in recent years, the Jedi Order has received many requests for assistance against the Sith'arii and their seemingly maniacal followers, and on occasion even the Imperial Remnant has come seeking their assistance. These are dark times in the Galaxy, and the long lasting peace is at breaking point. War between the Republic and the Imperial Remnant is inevitable, and the threat of the Sith returning is a deep-seated fear among the Jedi...


	2. Chapter 01: Scion of the Heart

**The New Star Wars: The Dark Side of Change  
****By SilverWingedSeraph**

**Chapter One: Scion of the Heart**

Jedi Knight Avlyn Shan sat silently in the Hall of a Thousand Truths, inside the Jedi Temple on Telos. The grand hall, carved and constructed soley by hand and the Force, was one of his favourite places in all of the known worlds, for no other place could allow him to relax as deeply as he could here. Always, until he had come to the Jedi Order, and even after that, he felt like there was a great weight upon his shoulders; A responsibility that he was neither aware of, nor one that pleased him.

But within the Hall of a Thousand Truths, he could truly be free, and it was there that most of his meditation took place. Indeed, at that very moment he was seated, cross-legged near a large fountain, that depicted a carving of the great Anakin Solo, someone that Avlyn had always looked up to, ever since he had first heard the tale of the young Jedi's sacrifice. The smooth, polished stone beneath him was surprisingly comfortable, and roofless nature of the hall allowed him to feel the warm sun on his place, which was even more pleasant when combined with the light mist of water that washed over him from the fountain.

In truth, he wasn't really meditating at that moment, but simply savouring the very experience of being alive, and being aware of all the things around him through the force. He told himself that sort of counted as meditation. Maybe. He didn't really see the point in meditation and contemplation on such a beautiful day, and instead took to simply enjoying his existence. For a moment, he found himself wondering what it was about the Hall that he found so relaxing, but his thoughts were interrupted by a sing-song voice and a brush of the Force against his senses.

He knew before opening his eyes that it was his sister who approached him, but he still broke out in a smile as he saw her skipping towards him in her modest, brown padawan robes. He rose easily to his feet and held out his arms, drawing her into tight hug as she almost ran into his arms, her head resting upon his shoulder, causing her locks of chestnut coloured hair to spill down his chest.

"Brother!" She almost purred, hugging him fiercely, "You've been gone so long! Why didn't you come see me when you got back?"

Avlyn laughed and kissed his sister's head, "I knew you'd come her eventually, Cailyn. Master Winn asked me to meet him here. I was planning to come see you if you didn't show up."

"Where where you gone, anyway? Master Jace wouldn't tell me anything."

"Top secret Jedi business." He chuckled, drawing out of the hug and patting his younger sibling on the shoulder, "Don't worry so much, sis. I was with Master Kaagan, remember? Even if there was danger - which there wasn't - we both know he could've handled it, even without my help."

Cailyn looked up at him with amusement in her azure gaze, "You're just saying that because you were his padawan."

Avlyn smirked in response to her statement, giving a slight shrug of his shoulders and turning his gaze to the man that approached them. Jedi Master Kai-Mos Winn, while being rather short and unassuming by his stature, shone brightly to anyone with anyone with any Force potential, and though he did his best to hide it, there was not a single Jedi in the entire Conclave who could not feel him approaching. Merely being in his presence commanded one's attention.

Both Avlyn and Cailyn bowed in respect to the Jedi Master, and he gave a curt bow also, tugging at his robes casually and seating himself down upon a bench carved of exquisite white marble. At his gesture, Avlyn seated himself on the bench opposite Master Winn's, before his gaze turned to Cailyn, a small smile forming on his thin, dry lips.

"Padawan Shan, I do believe Master Jace is looking for you, hmm?" He said simply, though it was easy for anyone who knew him to detect the mirth in his tone, "She seems to think you spend more time learning to fly a fighter than training in the Force, or with a lightsaber."

Cailyn started, fidgeting slightly under his casual gaze, murmuring, "Perhaps I have been neglecting my studies a little, Master Winn. I will go seek out Master Jace now."

"Very good, padawan. Your brother and I have many important matters to discuss." The Jedi Master said.

With another formal bow, Cailyn turned and gracefully walked out of the Hall of a Thousand Truths, which struck Avlyn as amusing considering how she had entered, skipping and prancing with all the grace of a rampaging wookiee, and the simple delight of a young girl. Finally, as she passed through the great arch, his gaze turned back to Kai-Mos, and the Jedi Master's face hardened, his brows knitting up in a serious expression.

"I have already spoken with Master Kaagar on the details of your mission, but I would like your input as well, Avlyn." He said.

"Of course, Master Winn, but I'm not sure what else I can tell you. The Onderon Govenment requested our help. Both the Republic and the Imperial Remnant have claimed the independent world as their own, and we were asked to serve as mediators between the three parties." He cleared his throat, "However, the negotiations were interrupted by an attack from the Sith'arii. It seems they've established a hidden base upon Onderon's moon, Dxun, but we were unable to determine its exact location."

The Jedi Master furrowed his brows, "Dxun, you say? I've heard tell of a tomb of an ancient Sith Lord, Freedon Nadd there. Perhaps they found this tomb."

"A Sith tomb!?" Avlyn snarled, "Damnit, that's not good. We can't risk them finding a Sith Holocron. Requesting permission to return to Onderon immediately, Master Winn."

Kai-Moss chuckled softly and rose to his feet, "Master Kaagar has already requested to be allowed to search Dxun for the tomb, Avlyn. However, the peace between Republic and Imperial forces in the Onderon system is uneasy at best, and the attack on the negotiations only made things worse. You and Jedi Knight Yeloran Myst will go to the Roada Satellite, and see what you can do to calm things down. Master Kaagar will be on Dxun, and will contact you if he requires assistance."

"Yeloran? Master, you know I don't get along well with him. Perhaps you could give me a different partner?" Avlyn asked, standing up slowly.

"It is the decision of the Council, Avlyn. Now, go to your quarters and prepare yourself for the mission. You are to depart at sunrise tomorrow." Jedi Master Winn stated firmly, "This mission is of great importance, Avlyn. Onderon is an independant world, and any attempt by the Republic or the Imperial Remnant to claim it by force threatens the Interstellar Confederacy, and the uneasy peace in this Galaxy."

Avlyn nodded his head slightly, "I understand, Master."

"Very good, Avlyn." Kai-Mos Winn smiled, "May the Force be with you."

"And you too, Master Winn." Avlyn replied.

With a formal bow, the Jedi Master turned to leave, walking through the nearest arch that lead towards the main Council chamber. Avlyn watched in silence as he left, before turning his gaze up to the statue of Anakin Solo, meeting the gaze of the image of the dead Jedi Knight. He gave a slight nod of his head, then turned towards the grand arch, making his way out of the Hall of a Thousand Truths under the watchful gaze of many statues, depicting the great Jedi of old.

--------------------------

Inside his small, spartan quarters, Avlyn held his lightsaber out before him, its silver blade shining brightly, for it was the only source of light in the room. Outside, night had fallen on Telos and although he knew he should be sleeping, the Jedi Knight was restless. Something didn't feel right. It was as if an oppressive force was all around him. Even as he tried to reach out with the Force, to sense what it might be, it was hidden from him, obscured from view.

He closed his eyes and settled into a defensive stance, listening to the hum of his lightsaber for a few moments before slashing at the air, parrying aside imaginary blows from imaginary opponents, who wielded red lightsabers and lashed out with bursts of lightning from their fingertips. So focused he became on this routine, that he didn't hear the knock on his door, or feel the presence of the other Jedi Knight through the force. Indeed, he didn't even notice when a robed figure opened the door and stepped inside until the tall man cleared his throat. Avlyn started, his eyes popping open suddenly. With the loss of concentration, his lightsaber clicked off, for it was designed to only activate when the Force was channelled into it. He quickly regained his posture, glancing to the figure who he knew to be Jedi Knight Yeloran Myst.

The Zabrak was more than half a head taller than Avlyn, and towered over most others, and he seemed to believe that this somehow made him superior. He casually turned on the illumination in the room with a simple flick of the wrist, watching Avlyn with the condescending expression of someone who thinks that everyone other than themself is an idiot. Avlyn grunted and grudgingly gave a slight bow of respect to the Yeloran, for he was the older and more experienced of the two. The Zabrak, on the other hand, didn't even deign to nod his head in response, pulling out a chair for himself with the Force and seating himself.

"I surely hope we don't encounter combat on our mission." He said with a sneer, "Your technique is so sloppy I could fly a freighter through your openings."

"Shut your Hutt-kissing mouth, Yeloran." Avlyn snarled in response, igniting his lightsaber once more, "I was trained by Master Kaagan, and everyone knows that no one can best him with a lightsaber."

Yeloran's expression didn't falter, "Careful, Avlyn. Anger leads to the Dark Side."

"So does pride and misguided arrogance." Avlyn spat back, stepping past the other Jedi to open the door once more, "This ends two ways, Yeloran. With you turning around and leaving, or with me teaching you a few lessons in humility."

"All right, Avlyn Shan. I accept your challenge, although you're unworthy of my time and effort. Meet me in the courtyard within an hour."

Avlyn scowled, "Oh, I'll be there."


	3. Chapter 02: Heart of a Jedi

**The New Star Wars: The Dark Side of Change  
****By SilverWingedSeraph**

**Author's Notes:**

You may notice that this chapter is rather late. Or you may not care. Either way, this is because, quite honestly, I'm not happy with how Chapter One turned out, and I was seriously considering scrapping the whole project. However, I have decided against this rather extreme measure, and shall instead endeavour to make subsequent chapters live up to my own admittedly high expectations of fanfiction. If I am incapable of producing work any better than work I openly criticise, then I have no business writing any fanfiction. Please, read and review. Seriously, any and ALL feedback is welcome. Constructive criticism is nice too. Hell, flame me if you want. I can use that, even. But I need some response, to counter-balance my bias toward my own work.

I realise this chapter is rather short, and I apologise. From now on, I'll try to limit each chapter to a minimum of 2500 words, excluding notes such as this.

**Chapter Two: Heart of a Jedi**

The hum of Avlyn's silver lightsaber echoed dimly, mirrored similarly by the hum of another blade. Standing opposite him was the Jedi Knight, Yeloran Myst, a tall Zabrak, with a wide, toothy grin that seemed to add an even more to his already disturbingly dark appearance. Avlyn stood completely still, reaching out through the Force, and feeling his surroundings.

In spite of the darkness of the courtyard, Avlyn knew precisely where everything was. He knew which stones upon the footpath were sturdiest, and which were loose, slippery and vulnerable. He probed every inch of his surroundings, noting what could be used to defend himself, what could be used as a distraction, and what could be used offensively, if the situation demanded it. All the while, as his Force attunement scoured the area, his eyes were focused solely upon the dark orange lightsaber blade the other Jedi held in an aggressive stance.

Mentally, Avlyn was incredibly relaxed, but physically, every muscle in his body was tense with anticipation of the first blow, that would signal the beginning of the duel. Both had dialled down the intensity of their lightsabers, so there was no need to fear severe injury, but still, Avlyn knew the best option was to fight defensively, as the Jedi teachings said he should, even though his former Master would have encouraged him to end the fight quickly and decisively, leaving little doubt as to who was the superior combatant. Despite what Jedi Master Kaagan said, that was not the way of the Jedi.

Avlyn pushed aside the negative emotions that had been fuelling his words when he had challenged Yeloran. That path lead to the Dark Side, that he knew, but still, the lure was there, ever present, trying to lure him into giving into it. Even as Avlyn was contemplating this, the Zabrak Jedi suddenly burst forth with astounding speed, his lightsaber lashing out at the Jedi, who had allowed himself to become distracted. It was a pure stroke of luck the Avlyn clumsily knock the attack aside, giving ground so as to give himself time to prepare for the next assault.

The Iridonian didn't allow Avlyn much time at all, however, and launched another offensive against the long-haired Jedi's guard. His opponent was prepared this time, however, his mind focused solely on the present situation, and he found each blow parried aside or dodged away from. The two blades of brilliant energy clashed with astounding force, bursting with light each time they struck each other, and while Yeloran was putting every ounce of his physical strength into heavy hitting blows, Avlyn was using that force to turn aside the attacks with subtle flicks of his wrist.

Yeloran sneered and stepped back, falling into a low stance with his lightsaber held near his head, the blade pointing straight forward. He held the grip tightly in both hands, and drew upon the Force to boost his stamina, which he had so thoughtlessly wasted with his excessively violent attacks. Avlyn, in contrast, held his lightsaber loosely behind him in one hand, his other hand held out in front of him, palm facing towards his opponent.

"You fight far to aggressively, Yeloran." Avlyn said, hoping to goad the Zabrak into making a mistake, "And you gave me so many openings with those attacks, I could have ended this contest after your first two strikes."

Yeloran inhaled deeply, attempting to centre himself, "Then why didn't you? If you can't back your words with actions, then keep your words to yourself."

"That's better. I was worried you were starting to give in to the Dark Side," Avlyn said, shifting his stance into a more traditional defensive one, "Perhaps now we can do this like Jedi Knights, and keep the unwarranted aggression out of it."

"Agreed, this is simply training. We cannot allow ourselves to give into our emotions. _'There is no emotion, there is peace'_."

With a nod of agreement, Avlyn leapt forth, and the duel resumed once more. Now, instead of a brutal battle, with blades clashing violently and dark emotions feeding their aggression, both Jedi fought with grace and precision. Blades of silver and orange leapt out at each other like a perfectly choreographed dance, the figures of the Jedi silhouetted in the dim light of the courtyard, but both of the flaring brightly through the Force with inner strength.

This continued for what seemed like hours, until without warning, both Jedi simply stopped and lowered their lightsabers, deactivating the energy swords casually and looking each other in the eye. Neither noticed until half a second later that it actually _had_ been hours, for the sun was already beginning to rise, tinting the sky a brilliant purple-orange. Looking up at the sky, Avlyn let out a loud laugh, and he heard his sentiments echoed in kind by the Zabrak.

Both were soaked to the bone with sweat, and now that they allowed themselves to feel it, both had exerted themselves a great deal, despite their actions seeming nigh on effortless while they had been sparring. With a smile, Avlyn clipped his lightsaber to his belt and stepped towards Yeloran, extending a hand out to him. He was only slightly surprised when the other Jedi took his hand and squeezed it tightly, giving it a firm shake. Meeting each other's gaze, they both chuckled softly.

"That was... fun." Avlyn said.

"That it was. Enlightening also." Yeloran replied, releasing Avlyn's hand and clipping his own lightsaber to his belt, "I learned a lot from that, Avlyn. About you, and about myself. I was wrong in my judgements of you."

"And I of you." was Avlyn's response.

Yeloran straightened his robes, and raised a hand to wipe a sheen of sweat from his forehead, before turning to leave. Avlyn simply stood still for the moment and watched him, giving a slight nod of respect to the Zabrak as he paused at the exit, meeting his gaze one more time before stepping inside the door. Looking down at himself, Avlyn realised that he could probably do with a good wash, and some clean robes. After all, he had quite a day ahead of him.

-----------------------

Jedi Master Photus Kaagan scowled as he watch his former padawan leave the courtyard, a great feeling of disappointment welling up within him. He had tried to teach his apprentice the ways of lightsaber combat. The lost Form of lightsaber combat, Vaapad was at his command, not to mention other, more dangerous styles of combat. Despite passing this knowledge onto his student, it appeared as though Avlyn was opting to fight like a meek little Jedi, when he could have crushed Yeloran to dust, and ground his face into the dirt!

The Jedi were becoming weak and complacent. The old ways had become prevalent once more, and the teachings of great Jedi like Kyp Durron and Mace Windu were being forgotten. They were warriors, but it seemed to Photus that warriors had no place among the Jedi any more. All that was left were bureaucrats and ambassadors for peace. He had seen what the future held for the Galaxy. He more than anyone else knew that the Sith were going to return, and that to stop this from happening, the Jedi needed to learn to wield the Dark Side as well as the Light!

However, it looked like that task would fall to him alone. His own student was a failure in his eyes. The Jedi Council was weak and pathetic. He had sensed great potential in the Jedi Knight called Yeloran Myst, though. Before Avlyn had reached out to him, and calmed the rage within him, the Zabrak was more than capable of destroying Avlyn with ease, if only he had focused that anger into pure hatred.

Perhaps it was time to do things diffently, Photus decided. He would go to Dxun, as he had planned, and he would find whatever remained in the tomb of the Sith Lord, Freedon Nadd. But rather than destroy it, he would covet that power for himself, and use it to wipe out the Sith once they revealed themselves to the Galaxy. Only power could stop the Sith Lords in his eyes, and in that aspect, he found the narrow teachings of the Jedi Order to be left wanting.


End file.
